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Western Carolina faces Furman for homecoming with SoCon lead on the line

Furman visits Western Carolina at 3:30 p.m. Saturday at E.J. Whitmire Stadium in a showdown for first place in the Southern Conference, where Wofford and Samford are also jammed at the top with just one conference loss.

Western Carolina (6-2 overall, 4-1 in SoCon play) is ranked No. 18 in the nation in the STATS FCS media poll and No. 20 in the coaches poll, and the Catamounts are aiming to hold on to their high ground against their longtime rival from across the state line.

The game will be broadcast on the Catamount Sports Network and via ESPN3.

It marks WCU's homecoming.

Western and Furman boast the top two scoring offenses in the SoCon this year as the Catamounts average a league-best 38.6 points per game, eighth in the FCS, while Furman is just behind with an average of 35.2 points, 16th nationally. The schools rank 1-and-2 in total offense, too, as the Catamounts lead the conference at 467.8 yards per game (12th nationally) against 426.5 for Furman (32nd).

Junior placekicker Joshua Gibson helped Western produce points last week while being named South Conference Special Teams Player of the Week following a 26-7 win at VMI. Gibson, a walk-on from Andrews, hit the first four field goals of his career, from 23, 40, 38 and 43 yards.

Quarterback Tyrie Adams leads coach Mark Speir's Catamounts with 2,243 total yards of offense. He's passed for 1,678 yards, 15 touchdowns and 7 interceptions. A.J. Newman and Marvin Tillman are tied for the team lead with 66 total tackles on defense.

Furman (5-3, 4-1), meanwhile, the winner of five straight games, is led by senior quarterback P.J. Blazejowski, who's thrown for 1,535 yards and 13 touchdowns.